Nut cracking machine



J@.24,1939, 7 M.GLA $ER 2,144,841

' NUT CRACKING MACHiNE Filed Aug. 10, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ',.;W MaxGlaser;

24,1939. MfGLAsER NUT cmcxme mcnnm Filed Aug. 10, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Max G'Z v I I Patented Jan. 24, 1939 1 UNITED STATES 2,144,841 NUTCRACKING MACHINE Max Glaser, Hawthorne, Calif.

Application August 10,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a nut cracking mechanism and more particularlypertains to a machine for cracking English walnuts.

An object of the invention is to provide a wal- 5 nut cracking machinewhich in operating ona batch oi nuts graded to size is capable ofcracking the shells in a fashion to preserve a major portion 01 thekernels oi the, cracked batch whole. and in halves. l

machine in which means are provided -for adjusting the crackingmechanism so as to accommodate it to the cracking of nuts oi variousselected sizes. v

Another object is to provide a means for adjusting the crackingmechanism which may be actuated while the machine is in operation sothat the operator may observe the eflect of any change in the adjustmenton a particular batch 20 of nuts being run, to the end of enabling suchclose adjustment as to produce broken half kernels.

Another object is to provide a construction in a nut cracking machinewhereby on adjusting 25 the cracking elements for operation on a batchoi nuts of nearly uniform graded size, a limited self adjustment may beeffected to automatically compensate for nuts of slightly increaseddiameters or the presentation of the larger dimension of the nutscrosswise oi the elements in a manner to avoid excessive crushing ofsuch nuts.

Another object is to provide a nut cracking mechanism embodying a pairof corrugated cracking rollers, in which one of the rollers is 35mounted for lateral adjustment relative to the other, whereby spacing ofthe rollers may be varied to permit passage between the rollers ofselected nuts of approximately a determined di-.

ameter with a minimum of crushing action thereon, and embodying adriving means whereby the adjustment may be made while the rollers arerotating and in action.

A further object is to provide a construction of nuts therebetween andin a fashion to effect cracking of the shells with a minimum oi.crushing of the nut kernels.

With the foregoing objects in view, together 50 with such other objectsand advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention is carriedinto' effect as illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig. l is a view in end elevation of the nut 55 cracking mechanism;

Another object is to provide a nut cracking a minimum of in the crackingrollers such as to insure the feed 1931, Serial No. 158,308

Fig. 2 is a plan view or the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

.' Fig. 3' is a diagram depicting the nut cracker mechanism in endelevation as seen in the direction indicated by the arrow 2 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail in cross section taken on the line 4-.4 ofFig. 2 showing the manner of varying the spacing between a pair of parallel cracking rollers.

Fig. 5 is an enlargeddetail infsection taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4showing the adjustable bearing at one end of one 'of the crackingrollers.-

Referring to the drawings more specifically A and B indicate a pair ofcorrugated nut cracking rollers which are mounted in spaced parallel re-15. lation to each other with the roller B mounted for adjustmentlaterally relative to the roller A to vary the space between therollers.

The roller A is fitted at its ends with trunnions I and 8 revolublysupported in bearings! and I0 respectively. The trunnion 1 extendsthrough the bearing 9 and is fitted with a pair of sprocket wheels, IIand 12; a sprocket chain l3 engaging the sprocket wheel H and leadingfrom any suitable source of power, whereby rotation of the roller A andsprocket wheel l2 may be effected through the trunnion 1 and sprocketII.

The roller B is fitted with trunnions l4 and I5 which are journaledrespectively in slide blocks l6 and I! mounted for horizontal adjustmentin 3Q guide ways I8 and I9 which later embody end walls 20 and 2|through which extend threaded horizontal shafts 22 and 23 which arescrewed into engagement with the slide blocks as shown in Fig. 5. V 86Theshafts 22 and 23 are fitted at their outerends with beveled gears 24and 25 which mesh with pinions 26 and 21 carriedon a shaft 28 revolublysupported in bearings 29 and 30 and fitted at its forward end with ahand wheel 3! by which the shaft 28 and pinions 26 and 21 may bemanually rotated toeilect collective turning of the threadedshafts 22and 23 through the gears 24 and 25. The shafts 22 and 23 pass looselythrough the end walls 20 and 2| to.'permit longitudinal slideablemovement thereof relative thereto. In order to permit slight outwardmovement of the shafts 22 and 23 theintermeshing teeth'of the gears 24-25 and pinions 26-21 are formed of sufilcient depth to permit the gears24 and 25 to advance in the direction of the diameters of thepinions 26and'2IL' The'extent of the restricted advance thus permitted is mate-,rially greater owing to the fact that'thelntermeshing gears are ofabeveled character" and,

as is to be seen from Fig. 5, relative bodily movement between theintermeshing gears is not and 2| and whereby the collars will serve asstops in cooperation with the end walls 20 and 2|.

The trunnion i4 is fitted with a sprocket wheel 35 around which ispassed a sprocket chain 38 one lead of which passes under and engagesthe sprocket wheel l2 and passes around a direction sprocket 31; thelower lead of the chain 35 extending downwardly from the sprockets 35and 31 and around a roller 38 on an arm 33 pivoted at 40 to swingvertically, and which arm and roller serve to take up slack in thesprocket chain 36 and to maintain the latter taut. A spring 4| isarranged to exert a downward pull on the arm as.

The chain 36 serves as a flexible drive between sprocket i2 and thesprocket 35 whereby upon driving the sprocket H to revolve the roller Athe sprocket IE will act through the chain 26 and sprocket 35 to revolvethe roller B through the trunnion I4.

The rollers A and B are thus geared together to rotate in oppositedirections and in operation are revolved inwardly toward each other attheir upper portions.

The drag exerted on the portion of the chain passing around the sprocket35 by driving sprocket i2 together with the pull of the roller 33 andarm 39, serves to maintain the slide blocks i6 and I! in their normalforwardmost positions. with the hubs of the gears 25 and 25 on theshafts 22 and 23 abutting against the outer faces of the end walls 20and 2| acting to limit such inward movement of the shafts.

In the operation of the invention, roller B is adjusted to dispose it inproper spaced relation to the roller A by the manipulation of the handwheel 3| to revolve the shaft 28 and pinions 23 and 21 and thereby drivethe beveled gears 24 and 25 to rotate the threaded shafts 22 and 23 andthus cause the shafts to advance or retract the slide blocks l6 and I!by reason of the threaded engagement of the shafts with the blocks. Inthis fashion the roller B may be spaced such distance-fromthe roller Athat on delivering walnuts of the determined diameters between therollers the latter on being revolved in opposite directions with theirupper portions advancing toward each other as indicated by the arrows inFigs. 1 and 3 will feed and squeeze the nuts between the rollerssufllciently to crack the shells thereof without crushing the kernelswith few exceptions.

The corrugations of the rollers A and B are complementary and are formedto providechannels 11 extending between parallel ribs b with the bottomwalls of the channels slightly convex laterally; the channels being of awidth to receive nuts between the ribs b in such fashion that crushingaction of the shells will be eflected by the bottom walls of the channela rather than by the ribs b. The rollers A'-B are of like diameter andare correspondingly circumferentially positioned and uniformly rotatedso that as they revolve the channels a'and ribs b of one roller will bedisposed opposite the channels and ribs of the other roller when-contiguous thereto, whereby when a nut C is directed between therollers as from a hopper D it will be deposited on the upper margins ofopposed ribs b and thus be disposed in the cracking position betweenopposed bottom walls of the channels a as shown tom walls a of opposedchannels on the rollers A.

and B may be nicely adjusted so that the crushing action of the rollerson the nut shells will be -just that required to effect cracking of theshells with a minimum of breaking or mutilation of the kernels.

. In feeding the nuts between the rollers A and B the nuts arepreviously graded as to size in. a conventional manner so that the nutsfed between the roller will beof substantially corresponding diameters.charge of nuts between the cracking rollers the operator makes whateveradjustment of the roller B is necessary to effect proper cracking of thenuts; the adjustment being made while the rollers are in operation sothat the operator may observe the action of the adjustment on the nutspassing through the machine; the cracked nuts being delivered to aconveyor belt, not shown, in a usual manner.

In event that nuts of slightly-larger diameter than the average of thegraded nuts are fed between the rollers, or in event nuts should bepositioned with their larger diameters spanning the gap between therollers, an increased thrust will be imposed on the roller B which willact to shift the latter rearwardly a short distance by reason of theloose mounting of the slide blocks IG-ll On initially feeding aaifordedby the slight range of longitudinal sliding movement permitted thethreaded shafts 22 and 23. This rearward movement of the roller B isyieldably opposed by the drag of the sprock-.

et chain 35 on the driving sprocket 35 of the roller B under thecombined influence of the sprocket l2 and spring pulled arm 33, andwhich drag serves on cessation of the rearward thrust on the roller B torestore the latter to its normal advanced position.

While it is impossible to adjust the. machine so as to avoid mutilationof the kernels of all of the nuts cracked thereby, by reason ofconsiderable variation in the characteristics of the nuts, it ispossible to effect such accuracy of adjustment as to insure thepreservation of at least seventy-five per cent 'of the kernels whole andin halves; it being highly desirable in the cracking of English walnutsto, minimize cracking of the kernels into less than halves.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of the inventionI do not limit myself to the exact details of construction andarrangement shown but may employ such changes and modificationsv asoccasion may require com ing within the meaning and scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In a nut cracking machine, a pair of spaced parallel corrugatedcracking rollers, means for driving said rollers in opposite directions,a slidable mounting for one of said rollers adapted to 7 permit movementof the roller carried thereby toward and away from the other roller,threaded shafts connected to the said mountings, means for rotating saidshafts'to advance or retract said mountings, a support thereon saidthreaded shafts mounted for limited longitudinal reciprocal movement,whereby said slidable mountings may be moved in either directionindependent of said shaft rotating means, and adjustable stop membersmounted on said shafts and abuttable against said support to limit themovement of the roller provided with aforesaid slidable I mountings awayfrom the other roller.

2. In a nut cracking machine, a pair of spaced parallel corrugatedcracking rollers, driving means for rotating said rollers, slidablemountings for .one of said rollers adapted to permit movement of theroller carried thereby toward and away from the other roller, threadedshafts connected to said mountings, means including pairs of gears forcollectively driving said shafts to advance or retract said mountings;said threaded shafts being mounted for slight longitudinal reciprocalmovement, the members of said pairs of gears being intermeshed withsufilcient looseness to permit said slight movement, adjustable meansfor limiting longitudinal reciprocal movement of said shafts in adirection to more widely separate said rollers, and means embodied insaid driving means yieldably resisting longitudinal movement of saidshafts in said direction.

3. In a nut cracking machine, a pair of parallel corrugated crackingrollers, driving means to rotate said rollers, a slidable mounting forone of said rollers allowing such roller to move toward and away fromthe other roller, a shaft having a screw-threaded engagement with saidslidable mounting, guide means whereon said shaft is mounted for slightlongitudinal reciprocal movement, means to rotate said shaft to advanceor retract said slidable mounti said shaft rotating means includinggearing intermeshlngv of said rollers allowing such roller to movetowardand away from the other roller, a shaft extending at substantially aright angle to the axes of said rollers and having a screw-threadedengagement with said slidable mounting, guide means whereon said shaftis mounted for slight longitudinal reciprocal movement, a bevel gearsecured to said shaft, a driving shaft having a bevel gear secured toit, the latter gear being loosely in mesh with the gear on saidlongitudinally movable shaft to allow said movable shaft to have amaterial longitudinal movement while said gears remain in mesh with eachother, there being adjustable stop means carried by said longitudinallymovable shaft and abuttable against a portion of said guide means todefine the extent of said slight movement in the direction whichseparates more widely the cracking rollers, and means embodied in thefirst recited driving means yieldably resisting the movement of theslidably mounted roller from its mate.

MAX GLASER.

